Power of the Pen: The Amateur Mendicant Society
by The Fool's Hope
Summary: One of Watson's unchronicled cases finally comes to light. Not actually a sequel, just a short thing done in the same style. For VHunter07. FINALLY FINISHED SORRY SORRY SORRY!
1. Chapter 1

**Power of the Pen: The Amateur Mendicant Society**

For VHunter07--For being such a fantastic writer, reader, and reviewer. The SH section of FF would not be the same without you, m'dear.

None of these characters are mine.

_A/N: This isn't really a sequel to POTP, it's just done in the same style. And this is _certainly _not the start of a trend! I do not plan on doing any more POTP type things after this. Anyway, the idea came from reading a list of unpublished stories in Watson's dispatch box. I really wanted to do "The Bogus Laundry Affair," but this one sparked a plot first. _

* * *

**A definition in the dictionary sitting on a shelf in 221B Baker Street:**

Men-di-cant: (**men-**di-_kuh_nt) _adj. _1. begging; practicing begging; living on alms 2. pertaining to or charactaristic of a beggar _n. _1. a person who lives by begging, beggar 2. a member of any of several orders of friars that originally forbade ownership of property, subsisting mostly on alms.

--

**Fragments from the desk of Inspector G. Lestrade: **

Lestrade--

There has been a rash of crime in the Soho area. I'm afraid it did not stop with that one break-in. It appears to have been done by the same hands as before, though we still haven't any idea who could be responsible. All the usual suspects have been checked out already.

--Bradstreet

--

Inspector--

Another break-in on Park Lane--looks to be the same criminals. Apparently they have set their sights higher.

--Gordon

--

Inspector Lestrade,

I should be very interested to know what you are going to do about the loss of my property. As you know, several items of some value have been taken. It has been a day already, with no news. If you are not going to focus all your efforts on this case, then I shall be most displeased.

Yours faithfully,

Lord Rust

--

-Apparently not perpetrated by practiced criminals

-One of them walked with a very slight limp

-Nothing seriously damaged

-Seem to be stealing items of increasing value each time

-Lord Rust is a prick

-None of the usual suspects seem to be responsible

--

**An excerpt from the diary of Doctor John Watson:**

I believe an interesting case has finally come our way, after weeks of boredom. Holmes was becoming somewhat restless, and I feared he would resort once more to that form of artificial stimulation which I have been trying to wean him from. Thus I was quite relieved when Lestrade brought this matter to our attention.

Lestrade has asked us to look at the scene of a robbery, which is one of several apparently perpetrated by some sort of gang. We're to go round there later today, to talk to the owner of the house and have a look at the scene, though Holmes is out of sorts at being unable to view an undisturbed crime scene first. He has been moaning for some time about the imbicillic policemen destroying what evidence there was to find, and lamenting his fate at being forced to work with such incompetent men. He seems to be feeling better.

--

**An excerpt from the diary of Inspector G. Lestrade:**

I had Mr. Holmes have a look at the crime scene, and have a talk with Lord Rust. That did not go over so well. Lord Rust is now insisting that Mr. Holmes will do nothing for the case. I confess it did me good to see him so agitated--I do not know what Mr. Holmes said to him, but I have no doubt that he had as little liking for Lord Rust's pompous attitude than I do, and much less patience with it.

Unfortunately, he could tell us little else about the criminals than we already knew, save that one of them smoked a good deal of hand rolled cigarettes, one of them was somewhat older than the others, and one of them was a young man with an excellent grasp of the art of breaking into houses, picking locks and so forth, and walks with a slight limp. We are still unsure how many there were, though Mr. Holmes has told us five, and I have decided to take his word for it.

--

**An excerpt from the diary of Mr. Sherlock Holmes:**

I cannot speculate without data. It seems to me to be a clear case of robbery--the culprits will make a mistake and be caught eventually, though I must say they have had enormous luck so far. But something tells me there is more to this case. My instincts are very rarely wrong. Perhaps this will prove more interesting than it initially seemed.

The young lock-picker's marks seemed vaguely familiar. No doubt he has some criminal history. Other than him, though, this has the look of a group of men unaccustomed to thievery. Probably a group of individuals down on their luck who agreed to band together to supplement their limited funds. Still, I cannot help but think that this is more than a simple case of robbery. There is something larger at work here. Perhaps this will prove to be more interesting than it would at first seem.


	2. Chapter 2

**Power of the Pen: The Amateur Mendicant Society**

**For VHunter07**

* * *

**Fragments from the desk of Inspector G. Lestrade:**

-Again--this time near Pall Mall

-Only items of value were taken

-Cigarette case with initials "JW" on the outside--at last, a real clue!

-Lord Rust is still a prick

-Mr. Holmes believes the cigarette smoker to be between the ages of thirty five and forty

-None of the stolen items have turned up as of yet.

--

Lestrade--

Mr. Holmes is rather anxious to see one of the crime scenes before we have had access to it. Also, Lord Rust has been making trouble. He insists that we retrieve his stolen items or he will make us sorry. I have told him that we are only doing our jobs as best we can, but he refuses to listen. Please do not make me be the one to deal with him next time.

--Bradstreet

--

Lestrade--

I don't suppose you've had any luck with any of the other break-in scenes? I am always ready to be of assistance, remember, should you find yourself at a loss. I have had quite a good record with robberies, if you recall.

--Gregson

--

Inspector,  
Another break-in has occured, in Pall Mall. I think it would be a very good idea to call Mr. Holmes in on this one.

--Gordon

--

**A note sent to Mr. Sherlock Holmes:**

Sherlock--

I understand you have been working on the burglary cases. Would you care for some advice? The man with the cigarettes worked at one time on a boat. His companion, with the limp, used to drive a cab, before his wife gave birth to their second child. Up until recently he has been working in a pawn shop. This is only a small portion of what I determined from the scene. The reason I was at the scene at all is that I happen to live there. Come at once.

--Mycroft

--

**A note from Mr. Sherlock Holmes to Doctor John Watson (who was at his club at the time):**

Come at once. The burglars appear to have broken into Mycroft's apartments. This is becoming more interesting than I had initially anticipated. I will meet you there.

--Holmes

--

**An excerpt from the diary of Doctor John Watson:**

Mycroft Holmes was not at all pleased with the location of the latest break-in, specifically his apartments. He has numerous important documents in his apartments, and while none of them were tampered with, it would have been extremely unfortunate if they had been found. It seems, however, that they were only after his valuables. Unfortunately for the criminals, Mycroft Holmes has very little by way of valuables in his rooms, and the item of most worth that was taken was a silver snuffbox that he claims he never used. Also, more evidence was left at this scene--Mycroft was able to view the scene before the police arrived, so that nothing was tampered with. This also means that the criminals must have been somewhat familiar with his habits, as they seemed to know that he would stay late at the Diogenies club. In any case, we now know significantly more about the criminals than we did previously. To me, it seems to be a case of simply needing to find the criminals (which, admittedly, is not at all simple) but Holmes is convinced that there is something more to the business.

--

**A note on the desk of Inspector G. Lestrade**

Lestrade--

A Mr. Matthew Brown was found murdered last night.

--Gregson


	3. Chapter 3

**Power of the Pen: The Amateur Mendicant Society**

**For VHunter07**

* * *

**Fragments from the desk of Inspector G. Lestrade:**

-Brown found in river, apparently dumped after being shot

-No family we've been able to find so far

-Few friends

-Old neighbours said he moved out of his apartments about two months ago; that he was feeling depressed and lost?

-Young Gordon claims to have seen him about the city begging--whether or not he's mistaken remains to be seen

-No enemies to speak of

-Mr. Holmes claims he spent a good deal of time in a back alley _near_ the Soho area--he is going to see if he can retrace the man's steps at all

-Found a slip of paper folded deep in his back pocket, with the words "release" and "posession" still clear to read, but all else obliterated by water damage

--

Inspector,

We've found a brother. Name of Michael Brown. He says that he and his brother had had a falling out recently, but that the victim had been acting lost and distressed, and was looking for some new purpose in life, or something similar. He is ready to speak with you on any matter. Mr. Holmes has already seen him.

--Gordon

--

Lestrade--

Several people near Pall Mall claim to have seen a handful of suspicious looking characters lingering near where the elder Mr. Holmes lives.

--Bradstreet

--

**An excerpt from the journal of Mr. Sherlock Holmes:**

Mycroft has become extremely agitated over this business with his apartments being broken into. It is true that he does from time to time keep important documents nearby, but I highly doubt that any great secrets would be revealed were they to be stolen--Mycroft keeps the bulk of the information he recieves in his head. It is this particular quality which makes him so indespensible to the govronment. And if certain important facts were compromised, it would certainly make the culprits much easier to locate than they are now, as long as one knows the correct way to go about looking, which I do.

Mycroft was not at all pleased with this outlook.

It was interesting to see what my elder brother could make of the crime scene. As always, his superior skills for deductive reasoning put me much closer to my goal than I had been. I have always been rather curious as to what he would make of a scene such as the one he found himself in when he returned home. It is a sad thing that my brother has no sort of ambition, for I have always felt that if he had the will he could be the greatest detective in London. Unfortunately, we cannot continue to bring crime scenes to him, despite the temptation to shake him out of his routine with a little burglary more often.

The case itself has developed an interesting twist, as well. A man has been murdered. I believe his death is linked to the recent burglaries, and the man's description matches that of the man who smokes the hand rolled cigarettes. I found tobacco stains upon his fingers and teeth, though there was no evidence of tobacco itself. Watson and I plan on going down towards where the mud on his trousers dictates we should go, and see what there is to find.

* * *

_A/N: One more chapter coming! But I need to run away now, so it will go up later :)_


	4. Chapter 4

**Power of the Pen: The Amateur Mendicant Society**

**For VHunter07**

_A/N: I'm a terrible person. _

_I will be writing a long-winded author's note at the end of this story, mostly apologizing for being a terrible person. Long story short--real life was dropped on my head from a great height. I way over-committed myself, and found myself unable to find the time to actually sit down and finish this. But here I finally am, with the somewhat less than polished ending to this somewhat less than polished story. I wish I had been able to finish this when I was supposed to, because now I only barely remember what I was going to have happen. As it stands, this story is highly unrealistic, but I've never been able to help much what I write :-P  
_

* * *

**An excerpt from the diary of Doctor John Watson:**

This has been a most singular case, one which I shall, perhaps, make public in the future. For now, though I should record the facts here, so that they will be easily accessible to me later.

Holmes and I arrived at the door of an old, large stone building, crumbling with age. How he arrived there I still do not know--somehow, from clues left on the victim's person, he lead us to the dead man's old lodgings. Of course, when I use the term "lodgings," I use it loosely.

The man was apparently a part of a small group of beggars, calling themselves the Amateur Mendicant Society. A mendicant society being a group of people who choose to give up all earthly possessions, living off the charity of others, these men have nothing but the clothes on their backs. They are organized by three men--Greene, Black, and White. Upon questioning them, we learned that they have been taking in people from all over the city--people who were looking for a new start in life.

--

**An excerpt from the private diary of a member of the Amateur Mendicant society, the day before he joined:**

I had another talk with Mr. Greene today. It is truly amazing that he understands all of what I am going through. I have no reason to live--no family, no real friends, almost nothing to my name. He says he understands because that's what his life was like--that's what he was going through before he chose to abandon all worldly possessions and embrace the poverty he found himself in. This explains his ragged clothing and thinness. Even so, he carries about him a noble and purposeful air. He knows what he is here for in life, and he chooses to share it with others in the hopes of helping them find themselves. I too, he says, must embrace my own poverty.

He has offered me the opportunity to join them. I have made up my mind to take it.

--

**An excerpt from the diary of Doctor John Watson (continued):**

Supposedly the "new start" works wonders. Of course, the term "supposedly" is a key phrase--the people we spoke with seemed more brainwashed than anything else. They do seem quite content, however.

They survive by begging. They are a guild of beggars, if you will. All that they acquire is shared among them--used to buy what food they can for all of them. When asked what else they did, none answered, but chose instead to make ambiguous statements about wishing they could help us as they have been helped.

Holmes thought the whole business sounded suspicious, and I was inclined to agree with him.

--

**A telegram on the desk of Inspector G. Lestrade:**

AMATEUR MENDICANT SOCIETY

HOLMES

--

**A note next to the telegram:**

The man will make me crazy.

--

**An excerpt from the diary of Doctor John Watson (continued):**

The real break came when Holmes waylaid a passing beggar, and persuaded him to speak with us. Holmes' wallet was growing thinner by the minute, in the interests of this case. When questioned, he came up with much the same information that we had gotten from the others. However, this fellow seemed more inclined to speak plainly, as opposed to the guarded statements and riddles about "being helped."

Holmes asked me what my impressions were. My only thought was of some dark, secretive cult, which held more secrets than it seemed to the outsider. I expected him to scoff and point out the romanticism in me, as he was wont to do when presented with such a statement, but instead he only nodded.

My companion remained silent for some time, occasionally muttering a phrase that the beggar had said: "The society helps people--Not just the members, but the world."

--

**An excerpt from the diary of a member of the Amateur Mendicant Society:**

Perhaps we are doing the world a favour, as our great leaders tell us. But I cannot help but feel that these actions are not performed selflessly--that we are acting not in society's best interests, but in the interests of Greene, White, and Black. I know I am not the only one who thinks this--Brown in particular used to speak of it often. But he is gone now...

--

**An excerpt from the diary of Doctor John Watson (continued):**

When Holmes came out of his trance like state at last, he proceeded to question me, asking me if there was anything I had noticed about the phrasing used by the members of the society. All I had noticed was that the members had often talked about "helping" people when refering to begging. Apparently this was exactly what Holmes was after. "Beggars and thieves, beggars and thieves!" he repeated, over and over. Then he seized my wrist and announced that it was time to see Mr. Greene.

Lestrade arrived at the scene with a warrant as we were about to enter the room of Misters Greene, White, and Black. Upon knocking, however, it was apparent that no one was inside. Determined to gain access, Holmes broke down the door, and we found ourselves in a simple square room as bare as the last one had been. Lestrade was looking unimpressed, but Holmes was immediately on the ground, testing each floorboard. A few short moments later he let out a cry of triumph, and lifted back a hidden door to reveal a treasure trove. The space beneath the floor was filled with valuables, many of which matched the descriptions of items taken from the burglarized houses.

The facts were these--The Amateur Mendicant Society was not only begging, it was stealing. Greene, White, and Black were using the society to amass a fortune. When their members went out begging, any money that they did not need strictly to survive was given to Greene, White, and Black to be "disposed of," and that kind of money adds up fast. In addition, however, the three ringleaders had been convincing some of the most loyal (or most greedy) members that in order to help society they must remove items of worth from the lives of others, whether willingly or not. It takes powerful men indeed to convince so many people that thieving was acting in the best interests of society, Holmes pointed out, but when working with people so desperate as the ones that were taken in by the society, it may be a more simple matter than it seems, so long as the only ones who knew of the criminal side of the organization were the ones that would stay quiet. Apparently they'd misjudged when it came to Brown, and found that he needed to be disposed of.

At that moment we heard footsteps outside, and pressed ourselves against the wall by the door. The three ringleaders entered the room. Homes slammed the door behind them, trapping them inside, while Lestrade brandished his handcuffs. The three did not bother to ask us why we were there, but instead fought like tigers to escape. In subduing Greene and White we lost Black, who was quicker on his feet and made it out the door. The Yard is still looking for him, so perhaps we'll have the three of them behind bars soon enough.

* * *

_Only the epilogue left..._


	5. Epilogue

"Is there something wrong, Holmes?"

We had been sitting in silence for a good while after the conclusion of the somewhat ridiculous affair of the Amateur Mendicant Society. I had tried to immerse myself in a book, but could not keep my mind on it, and when I looked up Holmes was staring into the fire with a troubled expression on his face. At my question, however, his mask slipped back on. "Nothing, Watson."

"Come now, Holmes. I know you better than that. What's on your mind?"

My friend hesitated, then frowned into the fire again. "What could possibly make people go that mad, Watson?"

"You mean mad enough to think that stealing from people was a help to society?"

"Yes, that. And to search for new life by begging. To trust characters like Greene and White and Black, who to me simply reeked of treachery. It just seems so unthinkable to trust them, but those people we spoke with swore that they were changed. How is that possible?"

I was surprised at this--it was not Holmes' habit to dwell on cases once they'd been completed. However, I could tell that this point had been bothering him. "Greene, White and Black were excellent judges of character, Holmes," I said, reciting the explaination I had come up with for myself earlier. "They sought out those who were struggling daily to earn enough to keep their homes and continue to live, and targeted the ones who were alone. When someone lives like that for long enough, sometimes it makes them so desperate for meaning that they turn to the first sign of help, even if it comes from such a source. The three of them earned enough loyalty from some of the members that they were able to run the society."

Holmes nodded. "An overly elaborate plot to commit some simple burglaries. Though I suppose it's helpful to have your underlings do your dirty work for you."

"Indeed. Still, they went to such trouble."

We sat in silence a few minute more, Holmes still watching the fire intently. "How does it happen, though?" he asked, finally. "How is it that people become so very desperate?"

"I know what you mean, Holmes. I sometimes wonder if it's not possible for that to happen to anyone, no matter what the circumstances--if they become lonely enough, or suddenly desperately want their life to mean something."

"I should hope not. It was no fault of theirs, really; one cannot help the misfortune one finds one's self in sometimes."

"Indeed. Or simply a desperate need for something more." I frowned. "I only hope that I never find myself in a similar situation."

Holmes snorted. "Watson, that will never happen to you."

"You can't be sure of that." I was a retired army surgeon, again without a practice, and a widower to boot, I thought, as I mulled over the case. I did not feel myself becoming desperate for a new start, but it was a depressing realization.

"Watson, that will never happen to you, because I give you my word of honour that as long as I am alive I will always be there to talk you back to your senses, or beat them back into you if necessary. I anticipate requiring your company for my cases for a long time to come; I have no intention of losing you to such delusions anytime soon."

He said it offhandedly, as though it was another simple fact that he happened to mention in passing, but the declaration made another important point of the case sink in.

"That's true," I said quietly. "The only people who joined the society were alone."

And for as long as we both lived, neither of us would be alone.

* * *

_A/N: #tries desperately not to drown in sea of fluff# The next chapter is a short author's note which was a bit too long to put at the end here--if you care for such things, read on! #clambers into fluff boat and sails away on fluff sea#_


	6. Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi everyone! There are a few points I need to address, so I'm doing so here.

1. **I am, in fact, a terrible person. **It's never taken me so long to finish a story (thankfully) and I never thought it would, but...wow. I just found myself with so much...everything, all of a sudden, that I had to work mostly on swimming through a sea of commitment before I could do anything. I went for about a month without checking my personal email, let alone writing a story. Thankfully, however, I now have some time to wrap this up. I'll have lots of stuff going on through May as well, but probably a little less than I have been dealing with so far. But I won't start any actual full-blown stories until the summer. Unless I get a really, really good idea.

2. **POTP sequel: **Power of the Pen is probably my best work, and I'm thrilled that you all liked it so much. A number of people have asked me if I'll do a full blown Power of the Pen sequel. My answer: As much as I absolutely adored writing that story, there's really no chance of a sequel. The only reason this story was done in that style was because I began writing it right after finishing POTP, and I actually couldn't write it in any other way. My brain just wouldn't let me write a normal story with dialogue and everything. The reason there's no chance of a sequel is that the whole point of POTP is that it took place during the Hiatus, which was a unique occurrence, and I can't think of another event in the Canon that holds the same importance.

3. **VHunter07**: You are fabulous. This story was written for you, and even though it's very late being finished and not even particularly well written #hides face# it's from the heart. This fandom would not be the same without you. Not even close. So here's to you! #raises glass# A thousand and one apologies for the lateness of the finished project, but I hope you enjoyed it, or are at least able to laugh at my unfortunate writing :-P You do so much to make this fandom a brilliant place, and you deserve recognition and cookies. #passes cookies#

Thanks for bearing with me, everyone. Another round of applause for VHunter! and hopefully I will be around more often, at least to read all the fabulous writing around here.


End file.
